Manila, Dec. 31 -- The Department of Health (DOH) has ordered hospitals nationwide to tighten security measures following a series of newborn abduction incidents reported in Metro Manila during the holiday season.

In a statement issued Tuesday night, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the directive comes after two recent cases in which infants were taken from their mothers inside hospital facilities, raising alarm over lapses in security, surveillance, and visitor controls.

One incident occurred on Dec. 26 at the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (ARMMC) in Marikina City, where a woman wearing a scrub suit allegedly posed as a medical worker conducting newborn screening.

The suspect was able to approach mothers in the ward, an...